


Family

by Oliver__Niko



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coming Out, Disabled Character, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Non-Binary Lysithea von Ordelia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28431210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oliver__Niko/pseuds/Oliver__Niko
Summary: Lysithea finally has something to tell their friends, who couldn't be any more supportive.
Relationships: Golden Deer Students & Lysithea von Ordelia
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15
Collections: Fire Emblem Trans Winter Exchange 2020





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my fic for the FE trans exchange! I adore Lysithea, and I was happy to have them as the main character in a fic for the first time. Enjoy!

Pale hands bring long, brown hair back into a ponytail, a quiet sigh exiting the person’s lips. They’re still unsure whether or not they wish to cut it. In fact, many things are uncertain even after all this time. Perhaps that is normal when they’re on a journey to discover themself.

They struggle to tie their hair with how much their hands are trembling, remaining as such when they soon reach for the medication box at the side of the wash basin. The cause of this nervousness is obvious; Lysithea, after so many months of hiding, will finally tell their friends something they've had to keep secret for a long time. 

Lysithea’s friends deserve to know, for one thing. Never has somewhere felt so much like home than when Lysithea is in their company. But even if they’re the most wonderful friends Lysithea can ask for, the lack of knowledge does sometimes lead to moments where they can become upset, even if this is far from intentional.

They are beginning to learn, however, that even if they fear being a burden on their friends by needing to put themself first, they’re still allowed to do so. They deserve to be as comfortable as anyone else. 

They place the glass down at the side of the sink, swallowing their last pill. One final look at their reflection follows, before they wheel themselves away from the basin and out of the door. Their heart is hammering, and a little nausea is building in their stomach, as they make their way down the hallway.

Their eyes land on a room to their left; inside, their roommate, Cyril, is cooking bacon and eggs in a pan. His eyes land on them with a smile.

“Do ya want breakfast before you go?” he asks.

“No, I’m feeling a bit sick. I’ll see if I can grab something at Claude’s place.”

“Sure you don’t want me to go with you? I can see if someone is able to take over my shift.”

As Cyril is quite the workaholic, Lysithea knows this is truly a thoughtful suggestion for him to make, and a part of them wants to say yes to him. He, after all, is the only person who knows they are non-binary. It was a complete accident, easily done when the two live together, and Lysithea has never felt a need to be as cautious as can be around him. Lysithea is a part of several private transgender and non-binary groups. They accidentally forgot to close a tab when visiting the bathroom one day, Cyril catching a glance of the screen by mistake. 

He had made it obvious that he didn’t want to intrude on Lysithea, that any secret they might want to keep is fine by him, but it did prompt him to tell them that he is listening, if Lysithea identifies this way. His smile was reassuring enough to convince them, and the moment they said they were non-binary, they realised how _right_ the label felt for them after all. Saying this on those online groups had been life-changing in itself; doing so aloud as well, however, truly solidified how they had discovered themself at last. 

The fact that Cyril is supportive has been helpful in pushing Lysithea to tell everyone else as well. Of course, the fact that he is transgender himself helps, but it still gives Lysithea a stepping stone they previously didn’t have.

“I don't want you to have to find someone to cover last minute,” they say, wheeling into the kitchen; if they cannot stomach a full breakfast at the moment, a yoghurt should at least put them on. Something sweet is hardly something they will refuse, regardless of how their appetite is. “But thank you, Cyril. I think … I think it might be okay. We’ve always been so close, after all.”

“Like family, huh? I feel the same when I’m with them, too.” Cyril places his food down on a plate. “You know, I think they have a feeling that you’re about to tell them something real important. I mean, none of them are doing our uni work or anything. I don’t know how many of them work part time too, but … I don’t know, it seems like they’re making an effort to see you, which is great.”

“Yeah,” Lysithea says, their voice softening with a smile. They open a drawer to take out a spoon. “I’ve been thinking that, too.”

And that wouldn’t be a big deal to their friends, either—making an extra step to help and listen to them. This group of friends, so tantamount to family, do everything and more to try and be there for one another. 

It’s not a big deal. And maybe Lysithea coming out to them shouldn’t be, either.

  
  


* * *

  
  


When making their way over to Claude, Hilda and Lorenz’s apartment, Lysithea had been brimming with endless nerves. Despite feeling more encouraged because of Cyril and knowing their friends would never be the type to abandon them, it has still naturally been a nerve-wracking process.

But for a small while, at least, there has been little to fear. Their friends welcomed them with open arms, and soon, everyone else made it to the apartment as well. Currently, each of them sit in the living room. Lysithea has settled their wheelchair by the sofa, which occupies Hilda on the arm, then Lorenz, Ignatz and Marianne. On the floor sits Leonie and Raphael. The former is trying to push herself to win in an arm wrestling match against the latter.

“Leonie, do you _really_ think that’s going to happen?” says Hilda. “I mean, yeah, you’re super strong, but … It’s Raphael!”

Leonie, now rotating her shoulder with a large exhale, sits up. “This isn’t me admitting defeat, Raphael,” she says. “I _will_ beat you one day.”

He grins at her, and the two bump fists. “I’ll be ready anytime!” 

Several smile over the pair, including Lysithea, but they find that their smile soon fades. They don’t want to disrupt their friends’ joy by making them awkward and uncomfortable. Almost all of them are in the community in some way, and Claude himself is transgender, however … Well, Lysithea knows all too well how much people like them can be shunned by the same community, even if they doubt their own friends would do this.

A distraction soon arrives in the form of Claude emerging in the doorway. He lifts three large bags of crisps. “I thought we could all do with a snack,” he greets. Within a minute, all bags have been opened and poured into their own bowls, Claude now settling himself down on the floor.

“Elegant,” says Lorenz with a smirk. “We should truly get ourselves some armchairs.”

“You’ve only been living in this apartment with us for two weeks, and you’re already making demands,” says Claude. There’s a small smile on his face to show he is joking.

Their time together passes the same as it usually does. That is, however, far from a negative—there is no need to change something which is perfect as it is. Lysithea finds their anxieties fading as time goes on, able to laugh exactly like the rest of them, although there is still a small part of their mind nagging at them.

_Do it. Just tell them! What are you even waiting for?_

There are many things, in reality. Although when they push fear aside, no reasons are left after that; they know that this is for the best.

 _They’re your family. If anyone is going to accept you,_ they _will._

“Lysithea?”

The moment Lysithea is addressed directly, they blink and are driven out of their thoughts. Their eyes land on Claude, the one who said their name. His eyes express concern.

“You spaced out there,” says Ignatz. “Are you all right?”

“You also look a little pale,” adds Marianne; as the person closest to Lysithea, she turns, looking at them more directly.

“Ah, don’t worry,” says Lysithea, pressing a hand to their forehead; it’s no wonder they feel a headache coming on. “It’s only stress.”

“What are you stressed about, though?” asks Raphael.

“Is there anything we can do to assist you?” Lorenz says.

Lysithea’s eyes drop down to their lap, breathing in deeply. Now is a better time than ever, right? All they have to do is say it. Those three simple words: _I am non-binary._ Something so simple shouldn’t cause their heart to pound this terribly.

“Hey, Lys.” Lysithea’s eyes fall on Claude again. His voice has grown softer, and a smile is on his face. “It’s not my place to make speculations or try to guess what it is, but there’s something you have to tell us, isn’t there?”

Their mouth opens, closes, before they nod slowly. “I … yeah. There is."

“Whatever it is, you know we’ll listen,” says Leonie after swallowing a mouthful of crisps. “We’re right here.”

More words of agreement and reassurance follow, and Lysithea smiles. Though their heart still beats loudly from nerves, their mind returns to the one thing pulling them through this; how much they know that their friends adore them, exactly the way Lysithea feels towards them all.

“Well … I’ve been trying to figure out something about myself for a while,” Lysithea begins. “It’s taken me a long time, and I feel bad that it’s something I’ve hidden from you.*

“That is sometimes necessary, for your own safety and well-being,” says Lorenz. “It is nothing you have to feel guilt for.”

Lysithea nods. “That’s true, thank you. And I know that if anyone is going to understand and accept me, then it’s all of you.” They breathe in deeply, before saying, in a voice that is quieter, “I’m non-binary.”

In an instant, despite how their heart hasn’t stopped pounding, it feels lighter. _They_ feel lighter. An incredibly large weight has finally left their shoulders, and the relief is almost overwhelming.

And as soon as they see their friends’ smiles, they know this was worth every moment it took to build themself up to. “Oh, sweetheart, is that all?” says Hilda. “Of course none of us will be mad at you for hiding that!”

“None of us would have judged you for it,” says Ignatz, “but that is still such a deep part of yourself. It’s understandable that you hid it, but—”

“We would _never_ refuse to accept you!” exclaims Raphael.

With their heart beginning to swell, Lysithea nods. Their mouth opens to speak, but instead of being able to speak words, all that overcomes them are tears.

The moment they cry into their hands, their friends move closer to them. Claude’s arms wrap around them, and everyone else remains nearby. They all have something to say, but it’s Claude’s words in Lysithea’s ears, “I’m proud of you. Thank you for telling us,” that stand out to them the most.

“Sorry,” they soon say after their tears die down, wiping at their eyes with their arm. “I feel like some kind of child for crying.”

“I am sure many would cry in your situation,” says Marianne gently. “It’s okay.”

“As you can see, we’d all rather die before choosing to not accept you,” says Claude. “But I do need to ask something: do you have a different name to refer to you as? And what are your pronouns?”

“My name is fine,” says Lysithea; this is something they have speculated a number of times before, realising in the end that they have no issues with it, at least for now. “As for pronouns … Well, it’s not as though I’m not completely against she and her, but—”

“We’re not after what you’d put up with,” says Leonie. “What makes you the most comfortable?”

“I—they and them. Please.”

“Then that is what we’ll use,” says Claude, a smile on his face. “It’s as simple as that.”

Lysithea knows that for other people, it’s not that simple. They are not always able to find a place where they belong, at first. But Lysithea has. All of these people, so vastly unique in their own ways, have still come together as family.

After Lysithea has told them about their identity, and their pronouns have been confirmed, the conversation soon returns back to any silly topic they can think of. To them, Lysithea coming out is ordinary and far from a big deal. That is part of their acceptance; allowing them to fit in exactly the same as before.

Lysithea would not change where their home is for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! (Especially the recipient) <3 Feel free to find me on Twitter @nikobynight for FE related art and rambles.
> 
> Psst, I am also a mod for Trans Hub's next event, the trans FE3H BB, and you should definitely keep an eye out for sign-ups :eyeemoji:


End file.
